Frequency

If you're looking for a movie with a good story, and you don't need special effects, I can suggest "Frequency" (released in 2000, now available on Netflix).

Forget about explosions and, while you're at it, forget about believable science. A boy grows up without his NYC fireman dad who died in the line of duty, and things are not good in his life. Jim Caviezel is the son, Dennis Quaid is terrific as his dad.

For some reason (here comes the non-science): there's unusual northern lights appearing over New York and somehow that enables them to be linked over a ham radio. A connection not over space but over time makes it possible for the son and dad to talk to each other.

There's love and mystery and a sense of hope in this story. Read a review here, but only if you don't mind spoilers.

Not in vain

Memorial Day is the day set apart in the United States to honor those who "gave the last full measure of devotion." Here is Hillsdale College's tribute to the fallen.

Grateful

Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, surrendered to the armies of the North on April 30, 1975. A man with twelve children watched fear, secrecy and hunger become their life. One day his daughter told him she was leaving.

He begged her to take one of his younger sons. Two days later on a dark night she took her little brother and her 3-year old and became a refugee with no country and no security.

"After eight months in [a] refugee camp, perfect strangers at a church in Knoxville, Tennessee, sponsored [her] to come to the dream land." And that's how this refugee mother with her first child and her brother came to America. She survived it all.

Her second daughter, Adrienne, feels deep gratitude for what her mom did. "From the moment I entered this world as your second baby girl, I have never wanted for anything. Heaven willing, I will never know the hunger and desperation that defined your twenties. . with all the privileges I have as a healthy young woman with a Yale degree, nothing I accomplish can compare to what you’ve done."

Adrienne sums it up this way, "I have grown up so comfortably eating the fruits of your suffering."

Influencer

Some of us believe in God and see His influence in all of life. But we didn't all come to that personal faith in the same way. Everybody is a little different. John Stonestreet, for example, heads up a Christian organization now - but as a teenager, he says, he was a knucklehead.

At the age of 14, his Christian school made him and a buddy go visit some elderly "shut-ins" right before Christmas break. The two of them didn't exactly bring Christmas cheer to their first subject.

"[T]here we were: an 11th grader, a ninth grader, and an 89-year-old widow. We didn’t have a lot in common."  It was awkward. But the lady prayed with them before they left for the mall.

Two years later, John woke up one morning thinking about her. He actually went back to her house to see her. What he found out started to change his life. He'll tell you what it was here.

Nestle

"Nestle" makes . .  chocolate chips. That's the first thing I think of, but you might think of other chocolate foods. What one doesn't picture is a very major employer in Europe, and a huge global food company with brands like Carnation, Baby Ruth, Haagen-Dazs, and lots more.

They're making a big move toward nutrition issues. They have a $500 million/year division dedicated to researching health break-throughs, and another group tasked with figuring out how to market those "medicine" discoveries within the foods you want to eat, maybe Butterfingers.

Militant goal

So Venezuela (yesterday's post) is rich in oil reserves, and depends on that oil for nearly all its economy. Nigeria too is rich in (and dependent on) oil. Nigeria's oil industry is going downhill.

There was hope that Nigeria's growing economy could trigger prosperity all over Africa. But in just months their oil production has has sunk by about 30%.  Why? "Militant" attacks. Groups of barbarians attack and blow up pipelines, with the result that production of barrels per day went from 2.2 million to 1.4.

It's an expensive risk for Eni (Italian), Chevron, and Shell to try to keep business going. This serious setback for Nigeria's economy means hardship for its people. Oil companies can't keep investing capital in a location where their pipelines are blown up and their people are in danger.

New militant group "Niger Delta Avengers claimed responsibility for the Chevron attack and said, on its website, that its “major goal” is “to cripple the Nigerian economy.”

Extra power

As you know if you follow this blog, the South American nation of Venezuela is (as Huff Po puts it) "on the verge of collapse" economically. How bad can it get? Here is their summing up of the situation:

• Murder - second highest rate of murder in the world, following Honduras
• Inflation - expected to reach over 700% this year. Cash is useless.
• Their economy is shrinking by 8%. "It might not have been so bad if former president Hugo Chávez hadn’t chosen his oil company leaders based on their loyalty to him and his party. The employees took money from the company, but didn’t re-invest the cash to improve the country’s processes."
• Shortages of stuff the people need
• Corruption - the ninth most corrupt nation on the globe

Seventeen years of central control under socialism has ruined the prosperity Venezuela used to have. So what is current president Nicolas Maduro's urgent demand? More power, of course. "Things are so bad that President Nicolas Maduro has declared a state of emergency, giving him extra power . . "

Misconception

If you already know the information in this post, you are in a small minority. A whopping 84% of Americans think global poverty is growing.

But the truth is the opposite. Over the last 30 years or so, about a billion people on earth have emerged from extreme poverty.

If we want the rest of the world to enjoy a more prosperous life - and we do - the urgent question that must be answered is, "how did that happen?"

According to The Economist magazine, "[T]he biggest poverty-reduction measure of all is liberalising markets to let poor people get richer. That means freeing trade between countries (Africa is still cruelly punished by tariffs) and within them (China’s real great leap forward occurred because it allowed private business to grow)."

So then, "Free trade and global investment aren’t just economic priorities, they’re moral ones."

No plastic

(cont'd)

If Guatemalans are increasingly turning to the "ecofiltro" for drinkable water, what did they do before? They used something much more expensive with a lot of waste involved, namely 5-gallon plastic jugs of water  or just regular bottled water, which of course all the tourists use.*

The benefits of ecofiltro can be impressive when you consider their health and environment problems. From the video below: 97% of Guatemala's lakes and rivers are contaminated (causing one in 20 children to die before the age of 5), and their disappearing forests are used for boiling water and cooking.

(Note: the video also mentions a stove product sponsored by Natural Capital Partners, a subject for another day)



* Apparently tourists use an enormous volume of bottles of water where the local water is not reliable. An "eco-pioneer" built a floating island out of 250,000 of them just south of Cancun, Mexico - probably to prove a point, i.e. this is a problem.

Ecofiltro

One of the first things often done by 
development workers for impoverished people is to dig a well for them, fresh & safe water being a primary concern. Easy to take for granted if you live in a more 
prosperous country.

 A company in Guatemala has taken on  the demand for drinkable water. They came up with a method to get an effective water filter out to the rural poor in a way the people can accept and can afford.

The product and the name of the company is Ecofiltro, and that's their mission. 

Clay and sawdust make up the structure of the filter, and colloidal silver (kills bacteria with no side effects) coats it.

So bacteria, taste, and odor are removed and water-borne disease is prevented. Clean water should not be just a charitable gift,  but (in the company's words) a "sustainable solution" that provides "access to safe water for the rest of their lives."

In my work #2

(cont'd)

There's two ways Laremy (Christian, barrista, and philosopher) serves God in his work, relating to the natural world and relating to people. He treats both the world's fruits (yesterday's post) and people with love and respect

"I love to glorify God in my products, but I also love to glorify God in having a space where community can be created and where I can welcome the stranger, and welcome whoever walks in my doors and treat them with love and respect."

"My prayer is that every evening when I go to sleep, I can look at the ways that I have filled my role as . . interpreter of God’s general revelation and echo His words by saying, “It was good.”

In my work #1

Can a regular guy in a small town glorify God in his work? Laremy DeVries has a sense of purpose and fulfillment at his coffee and sandwich shop in Sioux Center, Iowa. 

He has an integrated view of his work as cooperating with God, the original Creator of the ingredients - the coffee beans, the milk and eggs, etc. - he uses in his shop. "And then I get the chance to take these things that God has made good and that many within the supply chain have treated with love and respect and make something good myself."

"When someone purchases a latte at the Fruited Plain Café, it is useful and beautiful. It honors its ingredients from farm—whether that be a coffee plantation in Nicaragua or a dairy in Nebraska —to cup. And it is never shoddily done. I have the opportunity to see God at work and read the revelation of His creation every day."

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord . ."

(cont'd tomorrow)

Emigrants

People have emigrated to the United States from all over the world, waves from certain nations coming during certain decades. All of that, in broad terms, you can see in the video below. In color.

Watch a couple of times; maybe you'd want to keep an eye on a particular nation to watch the movement to America ebb and flow with history. Fill the screen to get a better look at the details.



My biggest surprise was that so many came from Canada.

Sea landing

Space X has been trying to safely land their rockets after a mission to space so that they can be used again, as you may know. If the rocket can be used again, rather than be destroyed in re-entry, tens of millions of dollars will be saved.

It's all part of CEO Elon Musk's goal to take humans to Mars. The cost must come down, and it must be made safe for those humans. They're making progress.

Their first successful landing was last December. Their second was just recently. It was much harder than the first because it went further and carried more fuel, and because this one landed at sea.

Lead Harriet

Harriet Tubman could be the next person pictured on $20 bills. There's a movement advocating a woman's face, and she is the most popular prospect for the job.

photo: money.cnn.com

Her life was rough as a plantation slave. But instead of being overwhelmed by her circumstances, she grew brave (her mother's example may have set a tone) and boldly escaped to Pennsylvania at about the age of 26. Then she went back - and helped many others escape via the famous "underground railroad" to freedom.

It was no picnic. "Twant me, 'twas the Lord. I always told him, 'I trust to you. I don't know where to go or what to do, but I expect you to lead me,' and He always did."

"As abolitionist Thomas Garrett put it, “I never met with any person of any color who had more confidence in the voice of God, as spoken direct to her soul.”

Summer job

Who could need a totally flexible way to make money more than a student, either working around classes or for the summer? "On Demand" work is perfect for that.

Students make up 25% of the workforce of Instacart ("Groceries delivered in 1 hour") and 10% of the workforce at Eden. Postmates advertises on college campuses.

Two things to keep in mind if you're a student who's interested:

• you'll need to motivate yourself to work in order to bring in the income
• you may need a car and a good driving record

"One big advantage to using students . . is that they like to work on weekends—when demand is high—and stay off the platform during slower weekday times. [There is] a much higher demand for workers during the summer months, which also dovetails with students’ schedule."

Smart source

“There’s not a better source of smart, enthusiastic [workers],"  says  the CEO of  startup Eden which supplies "on demand" office support in San Francisco. His remark refers to students, who make up 10% of their workforce.

"Uber for tech support" is how Eden describes what they do.  "Make something people want" (good advice) is the motto for investor, Y Combinator, and so far it looks like offices are buying it.

Just last November their customer base became other businesses only, and big growth ensued. Big investors are optimistic, putting down $3.3 million. The startup is only a year old.

(cont'd tomorrow)

Happy for them

What is it like when the local economy grows? There are more options for everybody. Shale natural gas development came to Williamsport PA. Then more jobs opened up (about 70% of the positions were taken by local people). Then those with new jobs had more money to support their families. Then local businesses had more business.



Nicole Jacobs says she always thought she'd have to leave home to find a job after college, but now she works in her home town and in her chosen field. She says that they now have the kind of economic opportunity that her grandparents had when the town was booming in the past,

"It's just a wonderful place to live right now." I'm happy for them. If you'd like to be happy for them but don't know if you should be, see yesterday's post re: Yale research.

Fracking

(cont'd from yesterday)

This big supply of oil and natural gas (yesterday's post) has saved considerable money for Americans, especially the poor. According to Pres. Obama, a second big blessing in recent energy development is its environmental impact:  it has "helped drive our carbon pollution to its lowest levels in nearly 20 years."

What brought about this big increase in the supply of oil and natural gas?  Fracking. Though first used decades ago, the last few years have seen tremendous technical innovation which made the process more economical and more competitive - and cleaner (per the president's quote).

More wealth for people and less pollution - that's the cake. The icing on the cake is that Yale University research says fracking does not pollute water.

Tomorrow, people's stories in the locations where fracking takes place.

Savings

An average American family has been saving over $740 per year on energy since 2008 according to the Energy Information Association (EIA). 

Saving energy dollars makes almost everything cost a bit less, so the benefit is spread throughout society. But the poor spend a higher percentage of their income on energy, so they are the most impacted and helped.

Why are people saving money on energy in America? There's a much bigger supply of natural gas and crude oil on the market - and that means lower prices (remember "supply and demand" from high school). 

“For the first time in 18 years, America is poised to produce more of our own oil than we buy from other nations. And today, we produce more natural gas than anybody else. So we're producing energy. And these advances have grown our economy, they've created new jobs, they can't be shipped overseas -- and, by the way, they've also helped drive our carbon pollution to its lowest levels in nearly 20 years. Since 2006, no country on Earth has reduced its total carbon pollution by as much as the United States of America.” –President Obama
(cont'd tomorrow)

Intolerant

"Severe abusers of religious freedom" are the focus of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). 

According to a 1998 law, the U.S. government must designate Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) where there is severe religious intolerance. The USCIRF investigates and recommends countries for this egregious list. For example, North Korea is one of those countries (to no one's surprise).

Two more countries should be added to the list according to the Commission's report this year. Pakistan imprisons or executes "blasphemers" in large numbers. Nigeria suffers from the presence of the "most deadly organization in the world," Boko Haram.

Forty-four child suicide bombers were used in 2015 by this Islamist terror group, compared to just four in 2014.

USCIRF Chairman Robert P. George says, "“Things are not going in the right direction . . we need the public to get behind this and we need to make religious freedom a top priority.”

Jumbo wind

Wind turbines just got bigger. The world's most powerful windmill is now standing in northern Denmark, capable of powering 4,000 homes. But one of this size will operate offshore, probably never on land.

One blade of the windmill is 80 meters (262 feet) long, "about the entire wingspan of an Airbus A380 jumbo jet," and  a "nightmare" to move over narrow country roads. With the blade vertical, the whole structure is 220 meters (721 feet) high.

What's the point?  Economy of scale. The wind-power industry simply must bring down their costs if they're ever to compete with fossil fuels, minus all the government subsidies.

“The doubling of turbine size this decade will allow wind farms in 2020 to use half the number of turbines compared to 2010,” said Tom Harries, an industry analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance. “This means fewer foundations, less cabling and simpler installation -- all key in slashing costs for the industry.” (Note: you will have to click on the picture to get a better idea of the size - not enough room here to do it justice)